Crevette Posted April 2, 2005 Share Posted April 2, 2005 I was pretty amazed to see that Decathlon are sellling some "premier prix" bikes for €89 (with two year parts gaurantee).Paris is not too bad for cycling - there are a lot of cyle routes (you can get a map which shows them) and the "bois du Boulogne" and "bois de Vincennes" are pretty good places to explore by bike.The only problem - where to leave the bike? If you live in an small apartment with no cellor then its pretty difficult. Anyone any ideas?-Rob-PS: My last bike was stollen from Paris in the Opera region - even when it was attached with a pretty solid "D" lock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyclebum Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Hi Rob. With over 20 years in the cycle trade hope you think i'm qualified to help you. First off, these cheap bikes with long warrentys are pants. They are unpleasent to ride and made with such low quality materials most folk won't ride them enough for the bits to wear out. Consider spending 300 euros on a lighter weight town style bike that is light enough to lift onto wall storage brackets, or look at the excellent folding bikes that are priced around 4 to 500 euros. I know this seems a lot of money for a bike but you will enjoy riding it so much it will soon pay for itself. In this price bracket you will get quick release wheels and seat which allow a bike to be easily dissasembled for storage and make it easier to lock in the street as you can place the front wheel alongside the bike for the high security U lock to go through wheel and frame and you can take the saddle with you. Allways buy a bike from a good bike specific shop. Might cost you a bit more but you'l get excellent advice and after sales service.Hope thats of help, happy cycling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crevette Posted April 9, 2005 Author Share Posted April 9, 2005 Hi Cyclebum,Thanks for the advice - unfortunately my budget is very tight at the moment but we shall see... the folding bike is an interesting option. Do you have any info about a decent D lock to buy. I had a bike at opera with a D lock (with the lock at one end of the bar) but somehow they managed to break it. Are there other types of lock more secure?Regards,-Rob- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyclebum Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 At one time all D locks were expensive and made by only one or two American companies. Now the market is flooded with cheap and expensive ones made by lots of companies. There are pro bike thieves tooled up to break even the best D locks. Generally the more you pay the better they are. If you buy a higher priced bike you may be able to negotiate a good lock F.O.C. My own preference would be to buy a quality used bike from a shop, perhaps 4 or 5 years old. Throw some yuky coloured house paint onto the frame and buy a cheap D lock for it. If it looks terrible to you then it may have the same effect on the theiving scum.Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcazar Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 Several lock manufacturers, Kryptonite for one, do free insurance with their product, so if your bike is stolen, you can claim. The more you pay for the lock, the more is the insurance.I'm not sure how relevant/useful the insurance actually is, however. Anyone comment? Their locks also come with brackets that clip them securely to the bike when not in use.My bike has a decent D lock, (Halfords, with VERY thick D and legs not very far apart, so difficult to get something between to prise it open), and I carry one of Kryptonite's coiled cables, about 12mm thick coiled around the seatpost. Once the bike is loked to something, the cable twists it's way through frame, wheels and even sadle, and the ends are on the D lock. Haven't lost it yetAlcazar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyclebum Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 Some years ago I worked for the distributor for one of the premier D Locks that offered insurance. There were so many loop holes that no one ever got paid out. In any case the insurance only went up to about £120, but all the bikes being stolen were worth several times that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wizzer Posted April 12, 2005 Share Posted April 12, 2005 This month's Cycling Plus magazine has a review of bike locks. They did a basic bashing test and a drilling test and the top 3 are:AXA Secu-City Plus at £40 - www.dawescycles.comKryptonite New York 300 at £59.95 - www.ultimatepursuits.co.ukSquire Paramount Plus at £49.98 - www.squirelocks.co.ukNone are cheap but I guess you get what you pay for.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crevette Posted April 12, 2005 Author Share Posted April 12, 2005 Hi everyone!Just to say thanks a lot for all the info on locks - much appreciated!-Rob- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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